Pool-triangle



(No Model.)

W. D. POWELL.

POOL TRIANGLE.

PatentedOot Inventor.

Attorney.

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NITED STATES Fries.

ATENT POOL-TRIANG LE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,752, dated October 26, 1897.

Application filed January 12,1897. Serial No. 618,980. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pool- Triangles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan. vation, and Fig. 3 is a partial top plan showing a modification.

Pool-triangles are made in equilateral triangular shape and of such size as to inclose loosely the fifteen balls employed in playing the game. The form of triangle commonly in use rests upon the cloth of the pool-table with all its edges in contact therewith, and in order to move the balls to place the triangle, with the contained balls, is pushed along the surface of the table and moved backward, forward, or sidewise in order to effect the proper placing of the pyramid of balls and to leave the balls in close contact with each other when the triangle is removed. The friction upon the cloth in thus using the triangle wears it away and is therefore detrimental. The balls when properly in placehave one side of the pyramid, and therefore of the triangle, parallel to the head-cushion of the table and with a line bisecting the opposite angle running straight down the middle of the table, and it is difficult, if not impossible, without the use of guiding means to set the triangle and the pyramid of balls in this position.

The object of my invention is to produce a triangle which shall diminish as far as possible the friction and wearing effect upon the cloth in moving the device to place and which shall be capable of guiding the triangle into the proper position, so that the pyramid of balls may rest in a line bisecting its apex and shall be in the middle line of the table. I accomplish these results by the means hereinafter described; and my invention consists in the mechanisms hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, A A are two of the three side pieces of the pool-triangle, which extend from the front point or apex thereof to the base-line thereof, and B is the end piece thereof, forming the base of the triangle. The

Fig. 2 is a side elethree pieces A A and B may be formed of wood or of any other suitable material of suficient stiffness and lightness. These three pieces are joined together at their angles and form an equilateral triangular frame. At the apex in the form of device shown is a metallic frame-piece O, fastened to the side pieces A A by screws or rivets c. This frame-piece has an arched form and connects the two side pieces A A. Between the sides of the framepiece 0 is set a roller or wheel 0 in a vertical plane and in the line bisecting the angle of the apex. The axis upon which this roller turns is therefore parallel to the base B of the pool-triangle and is in the instance shown a pin 0, on which or with which the roller 0 turns and which passes through the sides of the arched connecting-piece O. The roller turns freely on its axis and may be made of any suitable 1naterialas metal, vulcanite,

or it may be metallic With an india-rubber or other suitable tire. At the base corners of the triangle are also connecting-pieces D D, fastened to the side pieces A and to the basepiece B in such a manner as to produce an equilateral triangular frame.

01 are screws or rivets fastening the frame D to a side piece A and to the base-piece B. To these connecting-pieces D D are journaled rollers E E in any suitable manner, as by pins or studs e e, which form axes in line with each other parallel to the base of the triangle and in a horizontal plane with reference to the face of the surface of the pooltable. The rollers E E are preferably equal in diameter and are made, as described, with reference to the front roller 0. At the middle of the base-piece B of the triangle is an indicator (marked b) which is in the line bisecting the angle between the two side pieces A A. On the cushion-rail at the head of every pool-table is a small diamond set in, indicating the middle point of such rail. If now the fifteen balls X (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) are, placed inside the triangle and the base-piece Bis set against the cushion at the head of the table with the indicator (marked 1)) registering with the position of the diamond in the railof the table, the middle line of the triangle bisecting the angle formed by the side pieces A A will be in line with the spot upon the table to which the ball at the point of the pyramid must be moved, and if the triangle,with the balls in it, is moved from the position just mentioned it will, if the planes of the wheels 0, E, and E are parallel and the wheels E E are equal in diameter, move directly to the position of the spot, and the triangle may be adjusted and removed from the pyramid of balls, leaving the head ball of the pyramid upon the spot and with the base of the pyramid parallel to the head of the table. It is obvious that the wheels E and E maybe set rigidly upon a single shaft running across from one to the other, so that the two wheels move together and the same result of straight-line movement of the triangle will be accomplished. Likewise, as shown in Fig. 3, a single roller F, uniform in diameter or having the rolling contact-surfaces which rest upon the face of the table equal in diameter, may be journaled to the frame or pooltriangle with an axis parallel to the basepiece 13 without departing from the spirit of my invention. In the form shown in Fig. 3 the roller F is uniform in diameter throughout and turns upon an axis which is journaled in extensions 6 extending backward from the connecting-pieces D D,which fasten together the rear ends of the side pieces A A and the base-piece B.

In order to produce a straight-line movement from the position against the head cushion above mentioned, the rear-roller mechanism when consisting of independently-revoluble rollers must be axially parallel to the front roller; but the guiding function of the front wheel 0 is not essential when the rearroller mechanism consists of a single long roller uniform in diameter of the rolling surface or when it consists of more rollers'uniform or equal in diameter of the rolling surface and connected, as 011 a single axle, so as to roll together. Hence if the front roller is a wheel having a polished rolling surface the roller may slip sidewise upon the table,.pro- Vided the rear roller or rollers are so arranged as to axis and diameter as to independently produce a movement at right angles to the base of the triangle.

I do not intend to limit my claims to the specific forms of device herein set forth.

\Vhat I claim is l. A pool-triangle having roller mechanism for supporting the same and journaled, axially, parallel to the base of the triangle.

2. A pool-triangle,in combination with supporting-roller mechanism having roller-surfaces of equal diameter and journaled, axially, parallel to the base of the triangle.

3. A pool-triangle,in combination with supporting-rollers at the base and at another point thereof journaled to said triangle and having axes parallel with the base of said triangle.

4. Apool-triangle,in combination with supporting-rollers equal in diameter and journaled to the triangle axially parallel with the base thereof, and a roller at the apex of the triangle having an axis parallel to the base thereof.

5. A pool-triangle having supporting-roller mechanism adapted to guide said triangle in a line at right angles to its base.

XVILLIAM D. POXVELL.

.Vitnesses:

E. II. MARsELLUs, M. II. hlCMATI-I. 

